From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   Envy comes to us from Hell   
      
   Envy, my children, follows pride; whoever is envious is proud. See,   
   envy comes to us from Hell; the devils having sinned through pride,   
   sinned also through envy, envying our glory, our happiness. Why do we   
   envy the happiness and the goods of others? Because we are proud; we   
   should like to be the sole possessors of talents, riches, of the   
   esteem and love of all the world! We hate our equals, because they are   
   our equals; our inferiors, from the fear that they may equal us; our   
   superiors, because they are above us.   
   --Saint John Vianney   
      
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   20 May – Saint Ethelbert   
   (Also known as Albert or Albrigh)   
      
   (died 794)   
      
    Martyr, King of East Anglia   
    – Patronages – Hereford, England, Hereford Cathedral where a portion   
   of his remains lie.   
   He was most probably born in 779 to a Christian family belonging to   
   the ancient royal lineage of East Anglia. His father’s name was   
   Aethelred and his mother bore the name Leofruna. He was brought up in   
   the Christian tradition and obtained an education at the monastery in   
   Bury St Edmunds. From his childhood Ethelbert was very serious,   
   polite, kind-hearted and friendly and was filled with the desire to   
   imitate Christ in everything. At that time most of England was under   
   the control of King Offa of Mercia, who had a great ambition to place   
   all the lands of England and part of Wales under his control and   
   wanted the Church to be subordinated to the State.   
      
   When Ethelbert was 14, his father died and the young man was crowned   
   king and started to rule his kingdom. It was in the year 793 or 794   
   that Ethelbert was offered marriage but the devout king first   
   declined, wishing to keep his virginity. But as he needed an heir,   
   Ethelbert finally agreed. His adviser, Oswald, suggested as a   
   candidate the daughter of King Offa and his Queen Cynethryth of   
   Mercia, Alfreda (also called Etheldritha). Ethelbert and all the court   
   consented; only the saint’s mother, Leofruna, was hesitant as she   
   feared the Mercian family and their dishonesty. Nevertheless, it was   
   decided that Ethelbert would set out for Mercia.   
      
   As soon as the young king mounted his horse, a sudden earthquake   
   occurred that made all his companions panic. Leofruna saw in this a   
   sign from the Lord that her son would never return home alive. “Let   
   the will of God be done!”exclaimed Ethelbert. But another sign   
   followed. The sun darkened and such a dense fog rose around, that all   
   who accompanied the king could not see each other or anything near   
   them. Seeing this solar eclipse, the king commanded everybody to kneel   
   and pray together –  “May the Lord give us His mercy!”he said. As soon   
   as they offered up a prayer, the fog dispersed.   
      
   On their way to Mercia, Ethelbert was filled with spiritual joy and   
   asked his companions to sing joyful songs, promising to give his   
   bracelet to the most skilful singer. They started singing spiritual   
   hymns and songs relating his royal lineage. The king took off his   
   bracelet immediately and promised other gifts on his return.   
   Eventually, they reached Mercia, deciding to stop at Sutton in   
   present-day Herefordshire. The following night Ethelbert had a strange   
   vision – his palace was in ruins and his mother, weeping, was coming   
   up to him, meanwhile, he himself, turned into a beautiful bird with   
   golden wings which flew very high to the heavens, where it finally   
   heard the angelic choir glorifying the Most Holy Trinity. Waking up,   
   he asked his adviser Oswald to explain the dream to him. Oswald kept   
   silence for a few moments and then replied –  “Oh, king! Whatever   
   happens to you, by the mercy of God all will be for the good”.   
      
   Thus, the trusting Ethelbert sent his messengers with gifts to King   
   Offa while he followed behind. Offa, however, believed the wicked   
   false rumours spread by his impious wife Cynethryth that the young   
   king was allegedly coming with the hostile intent to invade the   
   kingdom. As pious Ethelbert was approaching the royal palace, young   
   Alfreda, his would-be betrothed, spotted him from the window. The   
   young princess at once ran to her mother, exclaiming – “Dear mother!   
   King Ethelbert has come! Such a pleasant young man! I would surely   
   marry him!” These words enraged Cynethryth—she hurried to her husband   
   Offa and said to him – “The rumors are true. If this marriage takes   
   place, you will lose your kingdom very soon. So go and offer half of   
   your riches to him who agrees to kill him”.   
      
   Ethelbert was welcomed near the palace by Wimbert, the court officer,   
   who (after a conversation with the king) was treacherously going to   
   murder the unsuspecting King of the East Angles. Ethelbert got down   
   from his horse and said he wished to speak with King Offa. Wimbert   
   slyly responded that the king was aware of his arrival and was waiting   
   for him but, he must remove his sword, as it was not proper to appear   
   before the king with a weapon in peacetime. The ingenuous Ethelbert   
   gave up his sword and, accompanied by several nobles, proceeded to the   
   king. He came to Offa. The doors were closed. The innocent Ethelbert   
   was then seized, tied and beaten severely. After that Wimbert beheaded   
   Ethelbert with his (the saint’s) own sword. The young Alfreda mourned   
   the loss of her fiancé very bitterly and, unable to endure the   
   callousness of her parents, retired to Crowland in the Lincolnshire   
   marches where she lived as anchoress for 40 years. Famous for her   
   prophecies, Alfreda reposed in c. 835 and afterwards was locally   
   venerated as saint.   
      
   Since then Ethelbert has been known and venerated by English people as   
   a martyr, a saint of God who gained abundant divine grace. Although   
   Ethelbert did not die for Christ, he fell victim to evil, being   
   personally very pious, so he is regarded as a martyr. King Offa, who   
   arranged his murder, did not repent (according to most of the sources)   
   and is remembered as a cruel king with a lust for power. It is   
   supposed, that the scene of St Ethelbert’s martyrdom was the royal   
   villa at or near Sutton. His body was buried like rubbish but a   
   heavenly light identified it and it was eventually relocated.   
      
   Ethelbert was locally canonised by the Church. (Local canonisation   
   took place before official papal canonisation had been established.   
   The individual was ‘locally venerated’) He became the subject of a   
   series of vitae that date from the 11th century and he was venerated   
   in religious cults in both East Anglia and at Hereford. 12 ancient   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)